What Is Speed?

We sometimes use the phrase “as slow as a snail”

COSMIC WHISPERS

2 min read

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Oct 1, 2026

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The common garden snail has a top speed of roughly 1 metre per hour (3.3 feet per hour); if it had obtained that speed for about 40 days, it would have travelled about 1 kilometre (0.62 miles).

The Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt achieved the fastest running speed of any human; for a few seconds he reached a top speed of 44 kilometres per hour (27.3 miles per hour).

The African cheetah has the fastest speed of any land animal; during a chase, it can reach a top speed of 120 kph (75 mph).

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In a dive, the peregrine falcon can reach an incredible speed of over 320 kph (199 mph).

Arguably, the fastest production car in the world is the SSC Tuatara; it reached an amazing speed of 474 kph (295 mph).

Now we will ramp up the speed.

The Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird aircraft can fly at over 3,500 kph (2,175 mph).